Archer and Maya were literally drawn to each other by an invisible string, the rest of us just disappeared into the background. I don't think I had ever seen anything like this before.

She looked at him like there was no other man in this world, he looked at her like she was the only woman who deserved to be worshipped.

I watched as Maya went to talk to Archer and the two of them slipped into the secluded lounge of the bar and sat really close. For a moment I had this image flash in front of my eyes; an image of a thirteen-year-old Maya brawling and throwing a fit at a seventeen-year-old Archer.

So many things had changed, so many battles fought.

My eyes traveled towards Tyler who was looking at the pair with utmost satisfaction.

He'd made this happen. He had orchestrated this entire thing and brought them together just to see his sister smile because Tyler knew nothing could ever make his sister happier than just talking to Archer.

Maya was a great girl, I had no doubt about it but she had the Lockhart's blood running in her system, and that meant she was lethal like her brother and her cousins. She was trouble with a capital T. She had hurt Archer in the past. Even if it was out of sheer childishness, she had done the damage and right now, my brother was diving head-first into the same mistakes that he'd committed.

Things were different now. He and I were adults and not teenagers and that changed a lot of things.

"Miss. Lane?" An attractive man in a server's outfit placed a drink in front of me, "this is for you. It's from Mr. Lockhart."

"Which one?"

"Mr. Tyler Lockhart."

A cosmopolitan. I smiled.

"Thank you."

The server slipped a piece of parchment towards me. It was neatly folded about four times.

I looked at Tyler who passed me a panty-melting smile and raised his glass towards me.

I could have thrown the paper away, I definitely should have torn it in four halves but I was curious as to what Tyler was up to now.

The paper had only a few words scrawled on it.

I glared at Tyler so hard, there could have been laser beams shooting out of my eyes.

This boy wanted to die.

I almost balled the parchment in my fists but instead, I stalked to where he was sitting and pointed at the paper. "What the hell does this mean?"

He grinned, the asshole. "What does it look like to you?"

"I don't know. An open invitation to fuck you? Unless you're asking me to visit your suite Friday night so we could play UNO cards?"

He chuckled, taking a sip of his drink in a casual demeanor like a king of some exotic country who had all the time in this world for peasants like me. "If you want to play UNO, that's totally alright with me. Although, I'd much rather play other games, mostly that don't include clothing."

"Or we could play another game, a much nicer one," I suggested.

"And what's that?"

"It's called Tyler Lockhart-can-go-fuck-himself."

He laughed, and the sound of his laughter was so smooth it reached my core. I kept a straight face, maintained by head high and pretended that he didn't have an effect on me because that's what this was about, showing Tyler that I didn't turn into a ball of mush as soon as he said a word.

When I was younger, I was practically Ty's other half. We used to be together all the time; during school, studying at his mansion, playing video games or watching movies in their private cinema. We were the best friends that knew that we would end up with each other eventually. I used to be such a gullible little girl who was played by a crafty fox; Tyler the star player, in sports and outside. Literally.

Was he trying to seduce me?

Maybe.

Was I being seduced?

Maybe.

Did that mean I was going to fall in love with him again?

Never.

"We both want the same thing." His voice cut through my thoughts.

"Which is?"

I sipped the drink and then almost spurted out when a thought crossed my mind. What if he'd roofied the drink? I took another sip of the drink thinking that I didn't care. Tyler wasn't dumb enough to roofie my drink if he was kissing my ass for forgiveness for all his past sins. He wouldn't have gone so far as to send me an invite to his hotel suite.

He was an asshole, but I trusted him with my life.

"Sex." He said simply.

I coughed but quickly recovered and met him eye to eye. "Sex is the only thing you want from me?" I asked.

His blue eyes twinkled with mischief, "What I really want is not something that you can give me, Vicky, and I've made up my mind that I'd ask what I can get."

I laughed. "You're really conceited, aren't you? That is for assuming that I'd want sex from you too."

"So what else do you want? We're both single and no one's going to lose anything with a little bit of bed sport." He winked, giving me that wicked smile.

It would have come out as creepy if it was someone else, but with Tyler, it just looked downright sexy. If I was calling him sexy for being so insanely overconfident and rude, then maybe I was getting a little tipsy on the Cosmopolitan that I was still yet to finish.

What I really wanted to do was smack him, really I did but I knew a lot of people were watching and I'd hate to be the person to create a scene, or be on YouTube homepage for a video titled "watch a Blondie slap the world's eligible billionaire bachelor."

Nope. That so wasn't happening.

Tyler was trying to get a reaction out of me, as always. I wasn't going to give it to him.

I smiled back at him. "I don't want to be rude but you're so shameless, I'm actually embarrassed for you, Ty. I'm not speechless, per se because nothing you say really shocks me anymore."

I was actually pretty darn shook, but who was going to admit that to him? Tyler didn't have superpowers so it wasn't like he could read my mind. If money could buy a machine that you could read minds with, Tyler would have it and then I'd be in trouble but that kinda machine wasn't invented, and now I was thinking gibberish.

With Tyler, everything was a game. He'd changed since the ten years but he also hadn't, for instance, I couldn't tell if he was teasing me right now or being serious. If he had just said it to tease me and if I answered with, 'Ha, I'd love to have sex with you too,' and if he laughed at that and said 'Kidding.' Do you know how mortifying that would be?

I'd die out of sheer awkwardness and stupidity.

"You think I'm joking?"

He definitely had that mind-reading equipment with him.

"I think you are."

He chuckled. "Room number 506, 10 pm, Friday night. Be there or be square."

"Have you ever met a woman who said no to you?"

"Let me see...how about never?"

"Well, you just met one right now. If that wasn't clear enough, the answer is no Tyler."

He gave me the puppy eyes, "I'm lonely; throw me a bone, Vicky."

"What I can throw is a brick. Do you want to eat a brick for dinner? Pretty sure those shiny white teeth would be non-existent after I'm through with you."

What we were doing was sooooo juvenile but he smiled even wider, a clear signal that he was enjoying himself thoroughly.

"I want you to be through with me, Vicky. Completely and totally use me in any way that you want."

My expression turned serious, "Is that penance for your past, Ty? Are you trying to make up for all the shit you brewed before you left?"

He stared back, "Penance?" He gave out a laugh without humor. "Don't you think you've put me through enough, for all those goddamn wasted years that we should have been together?"

"I don't think so," I said flatly. "I've forgiven you, Tyler, but I can never forget."

He stared at me with the kind of intensity that should set a forest on fire. "What would it take?"

"You mean what would it take for me to forget what you did? Nothing." I was acting like a bitch not because I actually was but only because I knew that if I let this devil into my life again, he would do a number on me. "Here's what Ty, you can push me as far as you can, you can force me, manipulate me, and let me be honest, I'll probably cave into the temptation but all you can have is my body. You're never getting my heart. Not for the second time." Dammit, I was going to start crying again.

"Well I love a challenge when I see one," he said downing the last of his drink. "Losing isn't my forte so that leaves winning which I excel in. Thirty days Vicky. All I need is thirty days and then I'll get what I want whether you like it or not."